Blog

February2018

When I recently joined Tesla to oversee employee health and safety, I was asked to take a fresh look at every aspect of how we protect our workforce and ensure a safe working environment. I’ve been focused on workplace safety for over 25 years, and I’ve learned that most issues can be solved by listening to employees, using common sense, being proactive, and ensuring there is a culture that values safety. Since I started, I’ve been pleased to see that much of this work is already happening, and although we are not perfect, we’re taking a number of other steps to achieve our goal of having the safest car factory in the world. Here’s what we’re focused on:

November2017

Tesla is absolutely against any form of discrimination, harassment, or unfair treatment of any kind. When we hear complaints, we take them very seriously, investigate thoroughly and, if proven to be true, take immediate action.

September2017

It is extremely important for our customers to be able to easily charge their cars. The most convenient way to charge is to plug in overnight at home, and for most people, this is all that is needed. However, for customers who use their car for long distance travel, there is a growing network of Superchargers located along highways on popular driving routes. We have also installed thousands of Destination Charging connectors at hotels, resorts and restaurants that replicate the home charging experience when you’re away from home. Now, as part of our commitment to make Tesla ownership easy for everyone, including those without immediate access to home or workplace charging, we are expanding our Supercharger network into city centers, starting with downtown Chicago and Boston.

July2017

We would like to welcome Linda Johnson Rice, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Johnson Publishing Company (JPC), and James Murdoch, Chief Executive Officer of 21st Century Fox (21CF), to Tesla’s board of directors.

Last September, a 50-year storm damaged critical infrastructure in the state of South Australia, causing a state-wide blackout and leaving 1.7 million residents without electricity. Further blackouts occurred in the heat of the Australian summer in early 2017. In response, the South Australian Government as a leader in renewable energy, looked for a sustainable solution to ensure energy security for all residents, now and into the future, calling for expressions of interest to deploy grid-scale energy storage options with at least 100 megawatts (MW) of capacity.

June2017

We engineered Model X to be the safest SUV ever, and today, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced that after conducting independent testing, it has awarded Model X a 5-star safety rating in every category and sub-category, making it the first SUV ever to earn the 5-star rating across the board. More than just resulting in a 5-star rating, the data from NHTSA’s testing shows that Model X has the lowest probability of injury of any SUV it has ever tested. In fact, of all the cars NHTSA has ever tested, Model X’s overall probability of injury was second only to Model S.

May2017

We would like to welcome Gaby Toledano, who has joined Tesla as Chief People Officer, leading Human Resources and Facilities, reporting into Elon Musk. Gaby joins Tesla after 10 years on the Executive Team at Electronic Arts (EA), during a time of transformation and growth. Prior to EA, Gaby led Human Resources at Siebel Systems. She has also held HR leadership positions at both Microsoft and Oracle and currently sits on four technology boards.

Earlier this year, the United Automobile Workers (UAW) announced it was attempting to organize workers in Tesla’s Fremont factory. The latest phase of their campaign involves a concerted and professional media push intended to raise questions about safety at Tesla.

Today, modern utilities and grid operators are utilizing battery technology like never before. The next step in tapping the potential of energy storage is putting together thousands of batteries to form an energy network that utilities can use to deliver immediate value for the electric system. Tesla can now bundle Powerwall and Powerpack batteries into a single portfolio, also called aggregation, to make the grid cleaner and more efficient. Meanwhile, Powerwall customers who allow Tesla and the utilities to use their battery when energy demand is highest will not only have home backup power, but will also receive compensation for its use on the grid.

Tesla’s mission is to accelerate the world’s transition to a sustainable energy future by creating products that are so compelling, there is no alternative. Solar energy has always been part of our master plan, and we recognized the need for a roof that is simultaneously affordable, durable, beautiful and integrated with battery storage.